In the District of Columbia, all public school students, regardless of age, are required to have one wellness visit with a doctor every 365 days. It doesn’t have to be during the rush to go back to school, but it often happens that way.

Maryland and Virginia do not require annual wellness exams, although, as in D.C., medical clearance from a doctor is needed before a student can participate in school sports.

The local jurisdictions are fairly consistent when it comes to immunization requirements for pre-school and elementary school-aged children, all of which can be found on the official Maryland, Virginia and D.C. government websites.

There are some variations in requirements for tweens and teens.

D.C. and Maryland both require middle school students to get the meningitis vaccine, while Virginia does not.

D.C. requires the HPV vaccine for middle school girls and boys, giving parents the option to opt out. Virginia requires it only for girls, with a similar opt out provision.